Cameron’s Seafood Market & Restaurant Closes

Cameron’s Seafood has closed, Pasadena Now has learned.

Rumors of the restaurant’s demise began circulating in mid-December.

But at that time, owner Pete Gallanis said he was undecided on the restaurant’s future.

“Right now, we are closed due to COVID-19,” Gallanis said on Dec. 16. “We could reopen. We could not. We have to wait and see. We won’t know until January because we might get bought by a developer. Right now, we still have a heart, and we are still pumping.”

Over the weekend, the restaurant’s website had been removed and the business is now listed as unavailable on delivery service websites.

After promising to return several calls, Gallanis issued a brief statement to Pasadena Now.

“I actually retired. I have no other comment.”

Cameron’s is just the latest company forced to shutter due to coronavirus restrictions.

Lincoln’s, Du-Par’s, Cafe 86, Kabuki’s Japanese Restaurant in Old Pasadena and Sushi Ichi have all shut down since the pandemic began.

Like other local eateries, Cameron’s was forced to close all operations except takeout and delivery when the pandemic began. The city later took steps to allow local restaurants to conduct business outdoors, but even then some restaurants said they were not seeing the same amount of customer traffic.

Restaurants were forced to stop outdoor dining in early December when Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state order allowing for only takeout and delivery.

The order was issued at the beginning of the current surge that has left intensive care units full and hospitals struggling to provide care.

According to an article in the Arcadia Weekly, Gallanis grew up in the restaurant business, working at several of the restaurants owned by his father. Eventually, with the help of a loan from his dad, Gallanis bought Cameron’s from its original owner John Cameron in 1986.